Community

Welcome to the Postural Restoration Community! This is where you will read the latest industry news, hear about upcoming events, find helpful deadline reminders, and view a plethora of additional resources regarding our techniques and curriculum. The great part about it is--not only can you can view the entries we post, you can also post about the things that matter to you. Did you find an interesting article about a technique you learned in one of your courses? Do you have a patient case study you want to share with other professionals? Simply click "Submit an Entry" and follow the easy steps towards getting your information published in the PRI Community!

Blog Posts in December 2008

Ron Hruska recently received the following email from a PRI trained therapist:

When I told Julie I had been to another of your courses, she asked if I had thanked you for fixing her headaches and jaw pain! I admitted that I had not, so now I will.
Here is how you fixed Julie without ever meeting her:
You created Postural Restoration.
You taught PRI to Karen Jiran.
I took the Myokinematic Restoration Course at the APTA conference 2005 and learned about PRI.
Julie moved back to Minnesota from Seattle.
We scheduled Julie an appointment to see Karen in Woodbury to evaluate her headaches and jaw pain.
Julie did her PRI exercises.
Gradually she had far fewer problems with her jaw and fewer headaches. She could sleep better and had more energy.
Julie got a job and bought her first car.
Julie now shares an apartment with her pug, Pagoda. She does her exercises when she needs to. She sews quilts for her creative therapy.
So Julie would like to thank you for fixing her!
Thank you from the whole family.

Impingement & Instability scheduled in Gilbert, Arizona on January 10-11 has been confirmed. We are also extending the early registration deadline for this course to December 29th. When registering online, you will automatically be charged the late tuition rate. We will then process a refund for the difference. You can also give us a call instead of completing the online form. Allen Gruver of Foothills Rehab will be hosting the course! Hope you can make it!

Elizabeth Wheeler recently shared with us some good news! Liz is a PT who has attended PRI courses and implemented the techniques with great success. Congratulations, Liz!

Postural restoration is going to the major leagues! I have been named the PT for the Washington Nationals baseball team! I will be going down to spring training in Florida and have been asked to do PRI assessments on all the baseball players. I have put together a patient questionnaire (including dental & optical history), a list of desired pictures (to compare before and after - upon completion of the season and postural restoration rehab), and a general PRI assessment form. I would like your input as to what else to include. This information could be a golden opportunity for a ton of objective PRI info….. that I hope to turn into a published paper. - Liz Wheeler

Breathing pattern disorders, motor control, and low back pain written by Chaitow is the latest article being passed around PRI. This article discusses the effects of breathing pattern disorders resulting in a variety of negative psychological, biochemical, neurological and biomechanical influences.

“Breathing pattern disorders (the extreme form of which is hyperventilation), automatically increase levels of anxiety and apprehension, which may be sufficient to alter motor control and to markedly influence balance control. Hyperventilation results in respiratory alkalosis, leading to reduced oxygenation of tissues (including the brain), smooth muscle constriction, heightened pain perception, speeding up of spinal reflexes, increased excitability of the corticospinal system, hyperirritability of motor and sensory axons, changes in serum calcium and magnesium levels, and encouragement of the development of myofascial trigger points – all or any of which, in one way or another, are capable of modifying normal motor control of skeletal musculature.” To read the rest of this article, click here!

We have had many inquiries regarding PRI orthotics. When asked the difference between other orthotics and PRI orthotics, Dr. Paul Coffin had this to say…

“Other inserts rely on sensory response or stimulation to create a motor response to make the feet work in a fashion that the orthotist feels most appropriate. My favorite way of explaining this approach is to suggest that a sharp tack placed under the big toe joint would at first cause a reflex reaction to the painful stimulus then a learned motor response to change the pattern of muscular recruitment to prevent the foot from coming down on the tack again. I suspect that if the tack were left in place it would change the entire body position as we walk or stand as well as change the central nervous system’s learned pattern of muscular recruitment for the entire body. This doesn’t mean that the new body position or the new motor recruitment response is appropriate, just different. But if a patient were having pain, this change in body position and motor recruitment pattern would most likely change or eliminate the pain the patient was having. The disadvantage is that if the patient continued in this abnormal gait pattern created by the tack under the big toe joint there would eventually be a whole host of other problems that would be created.”

“I was working with a patient yesterday on retrowalking. She had sufficient adductor strength to be on her feet but she locked up during retrowalking. She was turning on her TFL each time she picked up her foot to move it backwards. I therefore had her slide her foot backwards along the carpet and she was able to hold a neutral pelvis. I now call this retroslide. I realize that this patient eventually must be able to pick up her foot and keep a neutral pelvis (gait) but the retroslide will just be a precursor to the retrowalking.”

We all know how convenient it can be to make online purchases. We have a tip to make it even easier. PRI uses PayPal to process registrations securely. You may think that in order to use PayPal you must have a PayPal account or need to create one. But you can actually pay with a credit card without an account.

Simply click “register” next to the date and location of the course you plan to attend. In the “payment method” field select “credit”. On the left side of the PayPal page to which you will be directed you see in bold “Don’t have a PayPal account? Use your credit card or bank account (where available). Continue”. Click “continue” to enter your credit card information and you’re done.

In many cases, the name of the registered attendee and the name of the payer may not be the same. That’s okay too. The majority of those instances are easily detected when we process your registration. If we aren’t sure, we’ll give you a call to confirm.

If you experience any difficulty just give us a call or send an email. We’ll contact you right away to address any problems. Also remember that you are welcome to pay by check or call our office to have your credit card processed directly in our office.

Postural Respiration scheduled in Loveland, CO on January 17-18 has now been confirmed. We are also extending the early registration deadline for this course to December 24th. When registering online, you will automatically be charged the late tuition rate. We will then process a refund for the difference. You can also give us a call instead of completing the online form. Hope you can make it to Loveland!